KEF's LSX is a more affordable hi-fi system in a box
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ต.ค. 2018
- We might see the latest active loudspeaker offering from British loudspeaker company KEF as a scaled-down LS50 Wireless but with a few welcome twists.
US$1100/pair in the USA, €1200/pair in Europe and 999 Great British Pounds in the UK.
More info: darko.audio/2018/10/a-short-f...
KEF website: kef.com
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Why can't all reviews be this good? This was outstanding! Thanks so much for your hard work. It shows how much passion you have for audio.
Your digital/wireless/streaming reviews have been amazing. Taking the time to demonstrate how you set up & integrate has been truly helpful.
Dear Darko,
THANK YOU. You began with small steps and now you are offering a serious, insightful & very enjoyable approach to hifi/high end...whatever. Your column and these videos really are an oasis in such overloaded media. Have played yesterday twice the Hegel H590 video and now this....This video is very clever and answers all the questions that may appear for this set of speakers. I thought you could read my mind, especially when you installed the LSXs to your office. Wish you the best and keep on surprising us!
Amazing video man. Also love the fact that you don’t have any annoying background music that distracts from your commentary. Looking forward to more great content!
I've read you for years, John, and now I'm really enjoying these videos.
I only came across this presenter for the first time tonight but I'm impressed by the professionalism and quality of his review.
Thank you, John. That was the information i was looking for. You have a clear mind to tel a good story and a pleasant voice to listen to.
You do the best review ever. I love the way you talk about and show all the back connections. For a novice like me it is fantastic to hear and see what they all mean and do and the way you go through all the apps options. Will watch your channel from now on whenever I need to know my shit about something or looking to buy like I am at the moment trying to decide on which computer desktop speakers to buy. Thanks, great effort. Cheers.
Thank you for your excellent review. I also had the opportunity to hear the kef lsx at the lounge in Singapore Airport. I have just bought them for my computer and they sound fantastic. I have always been skeptical about expensive speakers but my ears were opened upon hearing them.
My Bose speakers sound hollow now. I can hear all sorts of wonderful things in my music which I was totally unaware of earlier
Thanks again for your excellent video
Please keep making them
Amazingly in-depth and yet easy to follow review. Thank you very much for sharing..
hands down best hifi review I've come across; I'm a beginner hifi person and this was really easy to understand. I appreciate not only your simple language but examples to add even more clarity. Amazing video production quality as well! Please make lots of beginner and entry level content for us in-between people, thanks & keep it up!
Dude what a great professional and polished review. I think seeing and hearing about a product in real world setting as apposed to reading a ton of reviews and tech specs makes it more tangible.
I think you are getting better at this all the time. Pace, outline, descriptions, information. You pack a lot of information in this video. Very entertaining and informative. Excellent.
Informative and entertaining. Excellent video John. I could easily see myself suggesting friends and family try the LSX, especially with Airplay 2 support on the way. Native Chromecast support would be great and Roon would be nice to have, but perhaps not essential in this segment.
I'd like to see more traditional companies offer active stereo speakers. A range (Bookshelf to Floor stander) of Naim/Focal actives based on the new streaming platform would be very interesting to me.
Mu so though
Great review John. You didn’t miss a thing. Very well done! Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Frank
Dude amazing video, probably one of the best how to Ive seen, keep the great work
A pleasant enjoyable unpretentious review. Well done sir. As an owner of the LS50 wired, if these sound remotely anywhere near as good, I'd say they're worth a listen.
Outstanding video, man! I honestly thought I was watching a big, professional channel, so I'm kinda amazed how few subscribers you have. You defiantly deserve more subs and I'm sure they'll come! Great review!
We've only been making pro-shot videos for 7 months. Subscriber growth is coming along nicely.
@@DarkoAudio yes a couple of guys told me hit a hundred thousand and you are well on your way...I just love to watch though...you do a excellent work John may all your dreams come true!
Your review is very straight forward and to the point. For us non-music producers, but nearly as passionate about sound, you do a great job speaking in layman's terms on this product.
I just started watching your channel, and I’ve learned so much. I really appreciate your insight and your impartiality toward the audiophile world it leaves me space to question how I wish to interact with my system and how much time I really wish to put in my setups where I want to bring music into my daily life; and find my medium between hobby, leisure and practicality.
Great vid, wasnt aware how versatile Chrome Cast can be for audio.
Wonderful review that kept me into it till the very end.
Also that DJ Kicks by Lone is quite the mix :)
Brilliant review, this guy has seriously done his homework.
I bought 2 used sets of the LSX for my sisters' birthday/Christmas gifts for about 60%-70% of the new price and couldn't be happier. Extremely impressed with them.
One of the best reviews I have seen.
Got them since last December.
Quite impressed by the sound quality even in a big room (~45m2). I paired them with a klipsch subwoofer to get some extra bass.
Love them !
Nice review! Couldn't agree more about chromecast audio!
I'd love to use active speakers in my living room but unfortunately entering the room would mean having to look at crowded back panels. 😲
Excellent description of a lovely little speaker.
Your narration says it all without the need to listen to them.
Keep them coming John!
Just got a pair, they’re great!
Thanks for such a clear and interesting review John.
Wow. I know virtually nothing about audio but I must say I was captivated by your presentation. The absence of a background soundtrack, visual splash and dash, electronica heart-thumping and whatever other pizzazz is SO refreshing you have no idea. Thank you for that, and for a superb review conveyed with honesty and even-handedness. I will be watching one or two more times; there is a lot for my little mind to absorb and all of it important. Well done; many other presenters would do well IMHO to borrow a page...(Going out on a limb here: would the NAD D 3020 V2 enhance this setup at all or would it be superfluous?)
Thank you for the review. Your review is complete and entertaining and really well shot. These speakers seem like a good fit for apartment dwellers who are only a little interested in better sound. As an Oppo owner, I’m always a bit concerned about being reliant on a manufacturer and their commitment to keeping their apps functional and relevant. Also, its funny that modern “wireless” speakers have a so many wires.
Great video John!!! Love the camera work!!! Very nice digs as well...:) Cheers!
Loving your videos. Just picked up some Kef q150s and so far I like them alot.
I had no intention of buying these speakers but your video was so entertaining I watched till the end!
I changed mains leads to wire world Electra 7 with cloverleaf adaptors to matrix 2 box ,and sound to this LSX bedroom system received a massive boost in sound quality 👍.
Nicely reviewed John. I’m not a hi-fi techno by any measure but I do enjoy good sound. I’ve recently rehoused a pair of Kef 104ab speakers into lighter, and smaller, cabinets and they’re just so powerful and accurate, despite the passive bass speaker now mounted on the rear side. I bought the speaker panels as a kit set in the early ‘70s and over the past 40+ years they’ve been matched to various low power amps (20 to 35 Watts) and proven to be reliable, versatile and high quality. Still have the original spare fuses.
These little speakers are great. They have everything you need to listen to multiple sources just plug and play. And the sound great.
And now I'm a fan... More videos please
I bought these speakers one week ago. I find them great!
This is an excellent video... And not just because of the speakers being presented...
Your presentation is excellent !
Fantastic review! Very practical and honest.
Great review John. Thanks! I have put them on my rather large wishlist.
Love this, and it's already the best video on this product - I'm still wondering about the sound quality in the end and - in the new world of audio where I am that man in the middle - how to hook this up in a world where we have so many streaming standards. Airplay 2 has been my 'go to' for now, but I also have sonos here and there around the house...
Las t year i bought the LS50W for my desk, and the situation was exactly as you described it. Now they found their place in our living room where they sound breathtaking. This LSX might be the right joice for my desk, hmm. We'll see...
I have the LS50W in my livingroom, and I absolutely love them. I bought the LSX for desk use. Side by side (in the livingroom) they sound surprisingly close but the LS50W definitely sounds more pleasing to me. For desk use I found the LSX a bit too intense and almost tiring to listen to. But this has probably more to do with the distance to the wall and how close I am sitting to the speakers, than the LSX themselves.
was waiting for review thank u . now for santa to read my wish list . great review . cheers
Lovely little speakers! Only thing they're missing is a USB DAC input. I would have omitted the AUX port in favor of that connection option.
I've calmed down a lot and am enjoying them now. Probably not keep them long term, but am listening to music and am able to beam from bed which is good for a bipolar depressive like me early in the day. Gets me up! Enjoying listening to horns in Jazz.
Finally got it working. Bought open box missing remote. So going back for the black color.
I also use the Aux input.
Smart of Google to provide that Toslink out option on the Chromecast-Audio, and to support Roon. A $35 Roon endpoint!!
Everything aside your house is beautiful :D. Great color choices and furniture is Lit.
Very comprehensive review. Thanks Darko!!
Great review. Wish these had RAAT protocol so I can pair them together with my other Roon ready devices, not as a separate speaker within Roon. They would already be in me living room.
This was the first video of yours I’ve warche in a long time. Loved it. I unsubscribed a while back but this video made me resub.
Your video is top notch and professional.Well done with great info. Also like the Bowie picture.
Sir, I really enjoyed your video, easy to understand, you explained things in a great way, wil be looking for more of your videos. -Jim
I had so many questions (I also have the LS50W) and wanted to use these in my small study with my iMac and Roon, but you have answered them all in your fantastic video.
Yeah same. I was looking to use LSX for my iMAC and no one did mention anything about it, except this review. Really appreciate the good stuff!
pimeye How are you planning on connecting the iMac to these speakers as they lack an USB input?
@@michaelhametner9780 Not a problem for Roon (Tidal) as I will buy the Chromecast audio dongle, otherwise ?bluetooth for everything else - TH-cam, iTunes, Vox, Plex, QT, VLC etc. Presumably will have to switch between the different outputs using the app.
You can use Airplay2 to beam all macOs audio to the speakers but the latency is quite noticeable for many use cases.
First time on your channel. Great stuff!
P.S kudos for LG V30, it shows your passion for sound 😍
I really like how these small LS50s look :)
A nice video at the various points of near-field speaker on the desk!!!
Good stuff John. Nice review
I have the older X300AW. And they still sound great. I also have a pair Yamaha NX-N500 active speakers.
Brilliant informative vid. Love the Chromecast Roon advice. 10 out of 10 man!
Very informative video without pesky background music? Subbed!
thanks for the review. two things; 1) thank god KEF is using proprietary wireless between speakers rather than (horrid) bluetooth or wifi. 2) KEF just laid down the best tv/ computer all-in-one speaker.
love that it also uses KEF protocols between the phone and the speakers, as anything is better than bluetooth...which you can still use. and as i only listen lossless, i love the Cat 5 cable.
and if you think i'm crazy on that point, turn bluetooth on vs off (plugged in if you have to) on an ordinary speaker and it will always sound worse.
plus it has a sub out - go and buy an inexpensive sub and really blow your mind.
Quite entertaining, albeit lengthy, review. The technology presented here is impressive, particularly in a near field environment. When I saw the master interface, I immediately thought Chromecast Audio; as did you at the 18 minute mark. All that said, the price of admission could be better spent.
Bowie and PSB at the background. Fine musical taste.
Thanks a lot for this review! Just bought a pair of these speakers, let´s see how they perform during next days ... :)
Great video! I really appreciate that you talked about their near-field functionality given their compact size. I love their small footprint but I'm not sure the average person would spend around $1000 on these...
this is amazing, i really like kef's speakers but hate the size of most bookshelves so this is like a blessing from god
I love the idea of this product. Something to get you by when your not listening to records on your analogue system. Would look great in my home office too :D
Great review! I could watch your reviews all day...
Noob question - what’s the silver book-holding-looking component on the middle of the cabinet that you set the speakers up on?
Love your channel. Would love to play around with all the kit you do !
i realised when i start using the kef kube 10 together wirh the lsx , using the lsx without sub is a major mistake. The kube 10 opens up the whole potential from the lsx speakers. Those tiny speakers go big when you combine them with a good sub and really go audiophile !
Many thanks for great review! I very much like your way of bringing high-end hi-fi to all of us. I liked very much your review of Devialet Reactor (I considered KEF LSX and Recator for myself), and I liked so much the Reactors review that I went very next day to shop and bought pair of Reactors 600 + Legs :-)... Unfortunately, the Comments section of that review is closed (locked) and I would really like to see what are comments from the audience... Thanks once again!
Excellent review John - thank you for posting. You are my go to guy for audio !
First time on the channel but love the video!
Love the review and the speakers. But love the furniture in your room more!!! Room tour dude! :)
That's a great idea!
I’m interested in the unit that the speakers are sitting on 🤔
nice room indeed. is that a short throw projector sitting in the middle of the speakers?
John Darko ok, now your just teasing!! :)
@@DarkoAudio
Not to distract from the excellent and comprehensive review but, as the comment above notes, absolutely delightful room (both lounge and office!) I would also love to see a room tour..
Watched this review a few months back and it put the LSX on my radar. The current price drop made me jump. These things are so amazingly perfect for a desk/office. Stunned by the presence, "Kein Trink Wasser" by Orbital, "Present Tense" by Radiohead, "9:39" by Global Communication, "Late" by Teen Daze, "A Simple Design" By The Juan Maclean, "Kaputt" by Destroyer was the test drive. Thanks for this review. The app could be better and I ended up running an Ethernet cable for stability as they were a bit finicky on my mesh wifi network during setup.
..and definitely use the interconnect cable.
An excellent review, thanks!
That was very informative video. Thumbs up for that!
It feels like the KEF LS50W will get updated at some point to add wireless speaker connection. That is a great feature and since it is optional it is the best of both worlds.
You are the best! Based on your recommendations I got the LS50W which I am using with Dirac Live room correction. It is simply amazing! Thank you!!!!!
John Darko is great, articulate, engaging & fun.
What an amazing review, genuinely awesome listening to your depth of knowledge. My uncle recommended KEF to me however I’m not sure my current house set up (small, awkward sized rooms!) would make these feasible.
I wonder if you could recommend a cheaper wireless speaker alternative? Perhaps Sonos ones in stereo? Or something in that price bracket? Bit of punch for dance music but with clarity?
Thanks again
Tell KEF to put that EXACT same tech “stack” (if you will) into a pair of their large floor stand products (ref et al). Changing out the embedded amps, of course. THEN my wallet comes out! 🤛
Problem is that, the floorstanders and such are sold to the (usually) tech-adverse audiophiles (vinyl = god!!!) while, indeed, active speakers would bring out the best in any speaker design. Seperate amp per driver, correcting the drivers or speakers faults in the speaker already, being able to tweak wall response, ... Same here, give me an active KEF 3 reference that I can use this way.
In my opinion, the future is active speakers. The enthusiasts will however, always enjoy the experience of amp and passive pairing. And when it comes to floorstanders, many are on the enthusiasts buying list as opposed to a casual
Hope your wallet’s ready…
Thanks for the video!
Interesting piece from KEF.
Great review 👍🏼
Fantastic job on this video
i would have loved to get these, but i don't have enough tv console estate for them, ended up with the mu-so, will have to set it up and see how it works out. might get these to replace my thonet and vander kubris. thank you for the great vid!
Thanks to your video, my siblings and I, last Christmas, purchased a set of LSX speakers for my 97 year old dad. The Google Chromecast Audio trick worked great. In addition to the streaming capability it offered, he is able to voice-control his music playback (w/TH-cam Premium) using a Google Home Mini attached to a standing-lamp, located next to his comfy-reclining-powered-chair. Due to age limiting restrictions, this is especially important for him, as he is unable to use a smart phone or iPad to navigate apps.
In addition, his 55" TV audio output connects via toslink to a mini-DAC and mini-jumper cable, into the analogue Aux input. Both are being powered with a USB, powering-capable, splitter-cable, directly from the Master speaker's USB power port. All that he needs is to be sure to select the appropriate input on the speakers using the included remote. On the downside, the remote is overly directional and the red text on a black remote doesn't make viewing for the elderly easy. Placing small fluorescent colored stickers on the remote to aid in identifying the buttons to be pressed has helped.
All-in-all, these KEFs are a pleasant Mid-Fi set of speaker that allow for flexible use. They sound smooth, and are relatively detailed, yet there's certainly no excessive sparkle in the treble. They have good dimensionality and dispersion. The mids sound very natural to my ear. The bass is surprisingly full for their size. Not the most dynamic or large-scale sounding......but overall, very nice. My dad loves them.
Oh, and I do have them mounted to a cheap pair of speaker stands (which I must confess, I garbage picked) using the threaded hole in their bottoms.
P.S. - John, your 5% description of sound improvement using the ethernet cable, as opposed to going wireless between the speakers, was spot-on. Damn good observation!
SIDE NOTE: I did need to bring them in for repair. I was getting sputtering sound out of the Slave speaker, but only when using the AUX input on the Master. It sounded almost as though the speaker's driver was blown, but obviously that was not the case.
Hey John your channel is fantastic, while noticing you seem to have a large appreciation for actives/smart hifi solutions id love to see your review on the Kanto Tuk.
your video was so compelling John, I picked up a pair in blue today. Setting up was easy as you found. I have occasional drop outs in sound over wifi but likely because there are SO MANY devices on my router. Over Bluetooth they work flawlessly. Also the app found my media libraries on the NAS with no fuss. Now where do I find those stands you had mentioned that could be screwed into the base :-)
love you, man. got these Kefs and just adore them. was also thinking about Devialet before purchasing them, but yeah, stereo and much wider soundscape made me take those as i couldnt afford stereo Devialet's. which is pity off course. but thats life.
I am in the same set of mind. But Devialet just start a new offer in France. 70 euro/month for 2 devialet reactor 600 and included qobuz Hi-res (which cost 24€/month). Definitly tempted by devialet now.
They are not for me personally, but good versatility and great review.
Great review! One thing I’d like to know is how these LSXs throw down with the phono stage input. I’m considering ditching my old B&W CM1s and NAD amp to use this with my turntable.
Also, great to see how the LSXs sound in a home office setup, but what about in the bigger lounge room you had the black pair placed in? Do the LSXs envelop the larger room effectively?
Good review! It was actually insightful compared to other audio reviews. Thanks
Great Video comrade! 🤗
oh im so impressed with the designer, the fabric, the ports, the size, the colors.... i too was impressed except i only want to throw them out the window at this point /since day one can't connect to my WIFi / typical messaging about software upgrade, can't connect to my wife, which there's a routed 6' away you know, can't even update the software because it tells me i't not connected.... when it is.... but what do i know / it seems there 's always some other issue that can make anyone feel stupid but ok... the fact is that i never have had any good experience in using these speakers, only twice and then gave up.... because trying to connect, reboot, reset, you name it, 20 min. later to listen to music....im exhausted and don't want to work this hard to make sure your speakers are fully elevated as if im missing something..... sure they sound good and we can talk about that all day, but what good is it if i can't make it work ? for that money / i won't say what i want to do with them here...... i like simple connection or on/off button -
Nice review - thanks :-)
I don’t get why speakers like this don’t come with a USB input to fully take advantage as a desktop speaker.
This seems so obvious.
Bcoz they are meant to portable, that you can connect to your smartphone or any other thing that doesnt have the input
you can connect these to your desktop using other two outputs
Nowadays most computer motherboards contain optical out. Which I believe is even more convenient.
The old X300A's had USB. I still use them as my desktop speaker. Amazing set which I got for nearly nothing !